Come winters and my daily count of Chai (tea) soars like the weighing machine scale every morning. These days, I am on a count of 5-7 mugs of ginger-brewed tea with cinnamon powder sprinkled on the top. The ginger must be brewed for 2 mins. before adding tea leaves (powder) or you don’t get the flavor right. And cinnamon powder must be sprinkled after serving the tea, only half a tea spoon.

This is the thing with chai. Everyone has their own recipe and everyone likes to prepare it their way. My greatest chai buddy (and my dear friend)  Kiran likes strong tea with just about a tablespoon of milk while I like to have water and milk in equal proportions. As our love for tea grows, our fanaticism about tea preparation soars too. In fact, some of us like Radhika (another chai buddy & dear friend) like their tea with sugar on the side so that they may add (or not add) as much as they want.

For us tea addicts, discovering Chaayos on the first (and later ground) floor of Galleria market, Gurgaon was no less than ‘the alchemist moment’. The guys at Chaayos indulge our fanaticism, add as much milk as we want, brew ginger just for 2 mins. & serve sugar on the side while they serve ‘meri wali chai’ in their outlets painted in green and smelling of cinnamon, cardamom and chai in general. 

Also read: Conversations at Cha Bar, Delhi

The Chaayos experience:

I discovered Chaayos in the summers of 2013 when they had their store on the first floor of Galleria market. And after that, Chaayos became my go-to place for everything: gossips, hanging-out, me-time and meeting people for the first time.

I love their desi Chai and I love how they experiment it & get it right every time. My mother never had any fun advice like Forrest Gump’s but she always told me not to have chai without anything to eat as it screws with your stomach. So, I always order something to eat. And with a cup of tea with tulsi, adrak, elaichi & daalchini, a Napoli/ Bombay sandwich/ Garden fresh sandwich tastes crunchy, fresh and yum!

If I don’t take their desi chai,  I enjoy their Kulhar Chai which is, again, out of this world. Taking slow sip from the earthen mugs add on to the entire experience and is worth every penny you spend.

Next time, you visit Chaayos, do order their desi chai, kulhar chai, Napoli sandwich & bun maska.

Also read: A sip of happiness: Kulhar Chai

Quick Chai Facts:

Present: Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon & Mumbai

Menu: Chai, cold coffee, ice tea, lemonades & shakes. Sandwiches, buns, wraps, cookies and

Cost for two: INR 350

Chai Cheers!